Chapter 249: Recalling (1)
Creeeak.
The doorknob slowly began to turn, letting out a spine-chilling sound.
Urkubar reflexively lowered his body and tensed.
The magical power flowing through his entire body writhed and began to boil quietly, yet violently.
At the same time, the senses of an Ancient Dragon who had survived countless years and innumerable battlefields of carnage screamed at him not to lower his guard.
“…….”
It was dangerous.
Urkubar thought so.
He vaguely understood that the situation unfolding before his eyes had far transcended the bounds of what he could comprehend.
‘Clearly…….’
What had that Man without a Head, that wretch who inherited the cursed blood, said to him?
Yes, the Room of Memories.
He had said that if I stepped beyond the door located there, I would be able to grasp memories of the past.
And that those memories were the final key absolutely necessary to bring my dead daughter back to life.
That was certainly what he had said.
Of course, I had not wholly believed his words.
Even a three-year-old child knew that nothing was more foolish than fully trusting the words of a devil or a Demon.
But if there was even the slightest possibility, I was prepared to listen—even if it was the whisper of a devil.
‘……There is nothing to do but wait.’
By the time I arrived, the other two doors had already been shattered to pieces.
Only one remained—the door before my eyes.
Because of that, striking first before that door, behind which someone was surely present, opened was not an option for me.
The only choice left to me was to wait for it to open.
Creeeak…….
The doorknob turned slowly, very slowly.
Under normal circumstances, Urkubar would have burst into rage—but now, he merely held his breath and waited in silence.
Bang.
At last, the door opened.
And beyond the door, there was nothing.
Nothing at all.
“……What is this?”
What greeted him as the door opened was neither pitch-black darkness nor dazzling light.
Nor was it someone else who had turned the knob.
Beyond the door was simply empty.
As if nothing had ever existed there from the very beginning, the inorganic wall positioned on the other side filled the open doorway.
“…….”
Urkubar unconsciously furrowed his brow.
Neither the barrier nor the detection magic he had prepared in case of unforeseen circumstances caught anything.
His magic, which could capture not only Spirits but even ghostlike beings invisible to ordinary methods, remained utterly silent.
Have I overreacted?
Thinking that, he was just about to withdraw the aura he had drawn up in heightened vigilance—
“……?!”
In that instant, Urkubar’s entire body stiffened.
There had been nothing.
There had certainly been nothing.
Yet at some point, something was before his eyes.
Clearly, right before him, something was walking out through the open doorway.
“What in the…….”
It was something beyond description.
It had no form, no sound, no scent.
Neither his senses nor his detection magic nor even his barrier detected anything.
And yet he knew.
No—he was certain.
Something—something of unknown identity—was approaching him.
It both existed and did not exist, like a riddle made manifest.
“Ghk…!”
Instinctive fear pierced through his entire body.
Kwaaaang!
Without realizing it, Urkubar thrust out his hand and fired condensed magical power toward the something before him.
The strike, carrying the full sincerity of an Ancient Dragon, shot forward with force enough to twist space itself.
Kwaddeuk!
A chilling sound rang out, as though something had been shattered to pieces.
It was the sound of the last remaining door breaking apart.
Urkubar’s attack had passed straight through the something that was approaching him.
That something neither avoided nor blocked his attack.
It simply continued to advance toward him, slowly.
And then.
In the very next moment.
Something brushed past his body.
The appearance of the group of Dragons drove the situation even deeper into the mire.
“…….”
“Ah….”
“…….”
Behad, Menoruka, and Junongren stared blankly up at the sky.
The massive beating of wings that should have shaken the entire Capital, the roars that should have echoed across it—none of it could be heard.
They could not tell whether that was because they were trapped inside a barrier, or because the sight unfolding before them was simply too unreal.
“Looks like well over twenty.”
Still gazing upward, Behad muttered blankly.
What were the odds of seeing twenty Dragons at once?
No—what were the odds of an ordinary person even encountering a Dragon in their lifetime…?
‘……Ah, if I think about it that way, probability itself becomes meaningless.’
Behad thought blankly.
Just how many Dragons had he himself encountered by now?
He did not even need to look far—weren’t there two Dragons standing right beside him at this very moment?
“Lord Behad…….”
At some point, Menoruka had approached and clutched at Behad’s collar, hiding herself behind his back.
Meanwhile, Junongren glanced around awkwardly for a moment, then firmly stepped forward as though to shield the two of them.
The Dragons circling in the sky seemed to be observing this direction, yet they merely continued to revolve overhead, showing no sign of descending.
“……Just what are they doing right now?”
As Behad muttered, an answer came from right beside him.
“They’re reading the situation.”
At the voice, Behad replied with a look that was both startled and relieved.
“Professor Windy May.”
“Thankfully, you’re safe.”
The one who answered was none other than Professor Windy May.
Appearing before they knew it, she approached the three of them and casually glanced around.
Then her gaze settled on Behad—more precisely, on his heart.
“……It seems quite a lot has happened here as well.”
That was all she said.
“Fortunately, it doesn’t look like they’ll try to force their way down from up there.”
She added it as though telling them not to worry for now.
Behad carefully asked her,
“Why is that?”
“Well…….”
Just as she was about to answer, Professor Windy May suddenly let out a hollow “Oh?” toward him and said,
“Rather than that, it seems your name isn’t famous for nothing, Behad.”
“Pardon?”
“In the middle of this chaos, you’ve already charmed two of them—Dragons, no less?”
“Pardon?”
At her words, Behad asked again, clearly not understanding.
Junongren stood blankly for a moment before realizing she was being referred to. Her expression flared with indignation as she shouted,
“You filthy half-breed wretch, what kind of nonsense are you spouting at a time like this?”
“…….”
Meanwhile, Menoruka merely cast subtle glances between Behad and Junongren, her expression thoughtful.
“It was a joke, a joooke. Everyone seemed too tense.”
Professor Windy May shrugged.
“Anyway, thanks to the two of you, we’ve bought ourselves some time.”
She continued, explaining,
“No matter how you look at it, both of them are staying here of their own will. Me—”
“It’s Menoruka, Professor.”
“Ah, yes. Menoruka. Right. Miss Menoruka looks perfectly fine on the outside, and that young brat over there as well.”
“What did you just say? If you’ve got a death wish, you—!”
“Lady Junongren.”
At Behad’s call, Junongren flinched.
She glanced between him and Menoruka, then shut her mouth with visible displeasure.
He gave her a slight nod, as though thanking her for her understanding, before turning back to Professor Windy May.
Under his reproachful gaze, she blinked slowly as if to say she understood.
“……In any case, they’re assessing the situation right now. Now that they’ve confirmed the safety of the two most important individuals, they’re probably in the middle of a lengthy discussion about how to proceed.”
“……Even in a situation like this?”
At Behad’s incredulous question, Professor Windy May shrugged again.
“That’s just how Dragons are.”
She added quietly, her tone flat and matter-of-fact.
“And thanks to that, we’ve kept our lives.”
She paused and looked up at the sky.
A group of Dragons that numbered well over twenty.
At that scale…….
“Imagine if the Dragons circling up there started rampaging without restraint.”
“…….”
“That day would not only be our memorial day—it would be the day the Capital of the Empire vanished from the map. I’m not joking. With that many, they could easily destroy an entire nation.”
At her cold assessment, Behad fell silent.
After a moment, he quietly asked,
“Leaving them aside, what happened to Urkubar……?”
Behind him, he felt Menoruka’s grip on his collar tighten.
Behad asked again,
“At the very least, I believe we cannot leave him unattended right now.”
At his words, Professor Windy May nodded.
“You’re right. But as long as they’re hovering up there so conspicuously, we can’t move rashly either.”
She pointed upward with a sharp motion.
“We need to talk and sort out the situation first, but if we move carelessly or approach under the pretense of discussion, we’ll be blasted by the breath of nearly twenty Dragons…… and I would very much like to avoid that.”
“Then are we supposed to just keep waiting like this?”
“Well…… not exactly.”
Professor Windy May answered briskly, as if there was nothing to hide.
“I’ve already sent my Duplicate. At this point, we can only hope my Duplicate carries out its task properly……?”
Mid-sentence, she suddenly stopped.
“Is something wrong, Professor?”
“……It seems this has become more complicated than I expected.”
“Pardon?”
As though finding it hard to believe herself, she hesitated briefly before replying,
“Just now, my Duplicate headed toward the Room of Memories. Across the entire Academy, that was the only place where abnormal signs were detected.”
“……The Room of Memories?”
At his puzzled repetition, she nodded.
“Ah, it was your elder sister among the twins who went there, not you. ……In any case, just know that it’s an extremely important place.”
After saying that, Professor Windy May fell silent.
Her gaze fixed on a single point in empty air.
“Urkubar’s aura was also headed in that direction.”
At the mention of his name, Menoruka and Junongren immediately focused on her as well.
Meeting the gazes of the three of them, Professor Windy May let out a small sigh.
“And.”
A brief silence.
“……Urkubar was dead there.”
After speaking, she took a moment to steady her breathing.
Even as she said it aloud, she found it impossible to believe.